after 9 seasons, lovie smith is out as bears head coach after a 10-6 season. good afternoon. i'm sean lewis in for steve sanders. and i'm cortney hall in for dina bair. we welcome our viewers who are watching us around the country on wgn america and on the web. it's our top story. a bears victory over the lions was was not enough to keep lovie smith employed. matt forte rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown, while the defense forced six turnovers. the bears won 26- to- 24, and finished the season ten- and- six. but the vikings beat the packers to secure the sixth and

final playoff spot over the bears. let's go live to halas hall where wgn's rich king is. hey rich. he is a out of there is a good coach. confirmed about an hour ago after stories broke this morning. after nine years as coach of the bears. missing the playoffs five out of the last six years did him in. a nine year career here in chicago. it began pretty well. he was coach of the year his second year. he is always in charge of the defense. the defense did well over the years. he had no offense. the offense struggled this year. it was hoped to be better. it did not work out that way. it eventually cost him his job. not enough points, not enough victories.

>> changes and always a bad thing. sometimes it can be good. nobody wants to really change our attend about changing. now it is upon us. that is what it is. but he got to keep moving forward and whoever we get as our next coach. >> there's a lot of opportunity out there for him. we want him to be here but it is not the scenario. he is a great coach. he is a great man. >> am anxious to see what they do. i'm going to go home and away from football right now.

>> a very emotional reaction from devin hester. mrs of life is in the nfl. people get hired and fired. fill emery will not speak today. you have in this conference tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.. the bears fans already weighing in with their opinions. we're not finding a lot of fans that are all that surprised that he is out. frankly not a lot of them are upset to hear that either. not a lot of love lost for him. use generally muck by most of the last nine years. he led the team with that even kill them in there. even keel demeanor.

>> the coach is the one that always gets the criticism in most cases. that is a hard pill to swallow for a coach. if you're not winning, you're not winning. >> he did nothing to improve the line. >> i think the last couple of years have been a little rough. >> as well as his biggest downfall offense keeps coming up as the topic of conversation. and obama is scheduled to speak about 30 minutes. this is as

capitol hill lawmakers are battling the clock trying to keep the nation from going off the cliff. the autumn >> at expanding cuts and tax hikes could trigger a new recession. >> the markets could plummet. many still recovering from the last recession. fearing the worst of congress does not act. >> that means a lot for my family. i have family that is unemployed. there were about unemployment benefits. i have friends who are also facing some pretty hard times. everybody has been a kind of hard lately. you're definitely a little worried about falling even further into debt or into another recession. bettas all i care about. >> does it affect you? >> yes i guess. i hope it gets

resolved before 12:00 p.m. tonight. with the deadline fast approaching. negotiations continue with still no deal. the nation just hours from plunging off of the fiscal clef. that is on the dreaded combination of spending cuts and tax hikes take effect. the average middle-class family standing to lose about $2,000. vice president joe biden is said to be a key player to try to make a deal with senate republicans. this is as the gop has reportedly backed off of a key social security measure. democrats have reported to offer to extend tax cuts for families making up to $450,000 a year. individuals making up to $400,000 a year. president obama originally wanted the tax cuts extended only four families making over $250,000 a year. as both sides make difficult

concessions, the two sides appear to be inching closer to a deal. whether they can close a deal by midnight remains a question. >> want everybody to know that i'm willing to get this done. i need a dance partner. >> if there is an ultimate compromise, there will be parts of it that i find it disgusting and reprehensible. if lawmakers did not reach a deal by midnight tonight. you will likely not see a big change in their next paycheck. a lot of businesses use 2012 withholding rates. if you want to check out how much this fiscal cliff falloff will affect your next pay check, had to this web site. half a bill to legalize same sex marriage in illinois could come

before state lawmakers in springfield as soon as this week. a white house spokesman tells the chicago sun-times, president obama is urging lawmakers to approve the "religious freedom and marriage fairness act". the spokesman says if the president were still in the legislature, he would support a measure to treat all couples equally. illinois passed a law approving civil unions for same sex couples in june of last year. if you're going out to celebrate tonight. the c-t-a is offering you a safe ride home for a penny. this year, the c-t-a is partnering with "miller lite" to provide rides on buses and trains for just one cent. penny fares begin at 10 p-m tonight. continuing through four a-m on new year's day. >> they are erupting with tons of exploding fireworks as they welcomed in the new year. it was the world's first major

celebration for 2013. 7 t of fireworks were set off from rooftops and barges. many of them cascading from the bridge. the pyrotechnic extravaganza was built by organize tiesorganizers. coming up next a one-hundred million dollar lawsuit is filed in connection with the newtown connecticut shootings. also ahead, the latest on the condition of secretary of state hillary clinton after being hospitalized, this time for a blood clot. and party planners in new york are gearing up for tonight's new year's eve celebration!

the mother of a man suspected of setting a deadly fire that killed his girlfriend and critically injured their two children is speaking out. nathaniel beler died of injuries he suffered in the fire at his mother's home in the 42-hundred block of west 21st place saturday. taniya (tuh-knee'-yuh) johnson died. neighbors told police they heard the couple arguing before the fire broke out. police accuse beler of setting the deadly fire but his mother says taniya is responsible. president obama says the connecticut school shooting should be enough to bring a new gun control law next year. the president said something

fundamental in the country had to change after the recent mass shooting. the president says he supports banning assault weapons and high capacity ammunition clips. but he's against the national rifle association's idea to put more armed guards in schools. i'm skeptical that the only answer is putting more guns in schools. vice president biden is leading a task force to create new gun legislation. the president says the recent school shooting could persuade lawmakers who are reluctant to support gun control to pass a bill. the body of the gunman in the connecticut school shooting has been claimed for burial. adam lanza killed himself after he shot and killed 26 people at

sandy hook elementary on december 14-th. he also murdered his mother before he went to the school. the new york times reports that someone claimed lanza's remains for burial, but it that person is said to have wanted to remain anonymous. the unidentified girl heard the gunfire, screaming and conversations over the school's intercom. she was not injured but was left with the emotional scars. >> other states are failing to protect the children from guns. golfing came over the intercom. down to the screaming and cursing. her friends are dead. that is trauma. >> police have still not given a motive for the shooting.

secretary of state hillary clinton will be spending the new year in the hospital. a spokesman says clinton is being treated for a blood clot related to a concussion she suffered earlier this month. the clot was discovered during a follow-up exam. but officials won't say exactly where it's located. she's expected to remain at a new york hospital so doctors can monitor her condition. clinton was suffering from a stomach virus earlier this month when she fainted at home due to dehydration, causing the concussion. he is now out of intensive care. mr. bush has been in the hospital for more than a month now. for bronchitis and a fever. he is 88 years old. he is the oldest living former president. a family spokesman says that he has been alert and always in good spirits.

>> returning to the new congress after being gone almost a full year for rehabilitation. his goal is to walk up the senate steps. you'll meet him at the top. the nets in practice last month when he climbed 37 flights of stairs at >> it's the last day of 2012 but it's the first day of a new era for the tribune company. after spending four years in a chapter 11 bankruptcy case, the chicago-based media company will emerge today under new ownership late last night, the new tribune company named its board of directors, and filed notification with a delaware bankruptcy court. the tribune company owns 23 television stations, eight daily newspapers, and other media assests including w-g-n, c-l-t- v, and w-g-n america.

>>the final test drop has been on the famous new year's eve ball in times square. the ball is made up of nearly 27-hundred waterford crystal and 32-thousand 2-hundred-56 l-e-d lights. this year the ball weighs 12-thousand pounds almost six tons. the ball drop is actually an old maritme tradition that was adopted by new york city more than a century ago. just ahead the best times of the year to buy certain home necessities. and, still to come this midday we'll tell you which airline is considered to have the rudest employees.

on track for its lowest decade of growth since the great depression. plan the economy for

that. at the current pace the nation's population will grow just 7%. the influx of immigrants has been on the decline since the 2007-2009 recession. you just have to know what to buy and when. i'm going to break this down for you. january is the best time of year to pick up linden, if you need to upgrade your appliance, jim and is your best bet. after thejune is your best bet. eject see if their employees have an attitude problem. they asked 1000 people which airline had the rudest employees. american airlines topped the list with 25 percent criticizing the banners of the workers there. united

airlines was second. speaking of that i'm sick of saying it. the word fiscal cliff topped its list of words to be banished in 2013. each year the university comes up with a list of words and phrases that are overused and misused. others making this year's list includes trending but a list,guru present. obama likely to be using these words and just about 10 minutes as he speaks on the economy from the white house.

a father and son from chicago made a pact with each other to go to every n-f-l stadium in the country in one season but they decided to make extra room on their trip for some of our nation's heros. craig and matt steichen started the program called "all 32 in 17" and have taken wounded vetrans to all 32 n-f-l stadiums this year. craig steichen said he and his son are just trying to find a way to give something back. >> you start out in the morning they're heroes. next year, the steichen's plan to expand the program and take vetrans to basketball and hockey games. coming up next: party preparations are underway. how chicagoans plan to ring in 2013! plus, still to come, a new study about a popular device that helps smokers quit and whether or not it's effective.

hello, i'm alex trebek. for over 10 years now, i've been representing the colonial penn life insurance company and i'm here today to talk with some of their insurance representatives about their guaranteed acceptance life insurance. that was a really good point. hi, alex. hi, everyone. i thought it'd be interesting to hear from you what your customers say are some of the things they like best about colonial penn's whole life insurance. who's gonna start? well, it's guaranteed acceptance for people over age 50. they don't have to take a physical or answer any health questions. and it gives them peace of mind knowing that their family has some insurance to help cover funeral costs. and other final expenses. great point, and that's something everybody needs to plan for, especially in this economy. it costs just $9.95 a month per unit. it's an affordable way to provide protection for loved ones. yes, and that rate never goes up. and their coverage never goes down because of their age. they can get permanent insurance at a price that fits into their

budget. alex: do you want to help protect your loved ones from the burden of final expenses? if you're between 50 and 85, you should call colonial penn now. for just $9.95 a month per unit you can get quality insurance that does not require any health questions or a medical exam. your rate will never increase and your coverage will never decrease. that's guaranteed. now whether you're getting new insurance or supplementing what you already have, call now and ask one of their representatives about a plan that meets your needs. they're waiting to hear from you, so call now.

it's party time in the city as the clock ticks down. new year's parties planned all over town tonight. >> live checking out some party stores. >> this is a big day for certain

segments of retail. liquor and party supply particularly. because new year's eve falls on a monday this year, the party supply store opened on a rare move on sunday to make sure they could cater to all of their customers. most not start making their plans until after christmas. >> chicagoans have come to shop for their new year's supplies and decorations. we just have to be prepared. because people expect us to have enough supplies, we certainly did not want to run out a couple of days before. a lot of people did not plan until after christmas. >> he is planning to blow up and deliver 6000 balloons by the end of today. owners work hard. they

pay double what they used to. normally in a given week we might get 20-25 cylinders delivered. this year as of march we were only getting nine. the busiest day of the year and the liquor business. they're selling bodymodeled on bottle. >> more people are staying in. he works for the postal service terrain sleet or snow. >> i will be bringing it in working. >> for many home is the only place they ever wish to be on this night. it is a little bit safer trying to keep yourself at home than it is to be out in the public. that is where all of the fund is. a friend of mine got a

bunch of us to go to a ballroom party. for many chicagoans faith comes first in 2013. i will be in church. >> god continues to keep my family and cover my family. we started 2012 and church, we will start 2013 and church. that is where we will be every new year's eve. >> they're staying open as long as they need to. >> your full forecast coming up try

delicious light & fit greek it's no ordinary nonfat yogurt. it has twice the protein of regular lowfat yogurt. and at 80 calories, it's the lightest greek yogurt with fruit. its creamy, thick texture helps satisfy you. so you won't feel like you're running low on satisfaction. light & fit greek. be light and fit. and satisfied.

and the next 24 hours we are going to do something we have not done before on any single day in the last 310. the daytime temperature below freezing. this is really amazing. we are in the last day of 2012. we are about ready to break a record for the warmest year on record. going back to 1895, we're not alone with the warm weather. we have a snow drought going. we also moved away from the sunthe sunnier than normal days. it is snowing again downstate. folks here as clear the snow has gone. you have to go south to fund this year. for the third time in

less than a week we have is no area calling across central and downstream illinois and indiana. the coldest air of the season, if there's any good news is that it will not last. the pattern is very progressive. we are very cloudy. it has been snowing all the way from kansas to oklahoma, eastward across missouri. look how close we are to the line. the north and extent of that snow. here are the statistics. let me run this down for you. the normal is only about 499. it

is 10 percent normal. it is mainly been going on north and west of us. the heavier snowpack that has been in place. we're still at 32. 35 at midway. that is the longest streak of subfreezing daytime high temperatures that we've had on record. the wind chill is 22.

look at the snow on the radar. some of this is up in the clouds. there is rain on the south end of this latest weather system. our model shows that the scenario will cover about the southern half of our viewing area. snow showers coming down the lake after that and running down into parts of indiana and michigan. there will not be a lot of snow. even downstate areas. if you had selfs to valparaiso, not exactly downstate. those are not huge toes. here's a better look at what occurs truly downstate. the

winter weather advisers for accumulating snow down south. even some winter storm warnings. >> tomorrow's high temperature may not get much above 20 degrees. we have not been tackled yet this winter. there you can see the next little of reinforcing cold behind this front. this is thursday morning's weather map. that will go south and bring more cold air and. snow cover. about 61% of the country is covered by snow. it has been snowing, it just has not been doing it here. we're not actually snow-covered very

much. there is one more look from the satellite. downstate these are the snows that came in late last week. in parts of missouri. we are laying another couple of inches on top of that. and some wind gust going to 30 mi. per hour. temperatures in the twenties to low 30s across the area. 33 at lincoln park. our weather station is at 25 degrees. here is the forecast. cold air surges in. temperatures will be falling as the afternoon goes on into the 20s. there will be some light snow in the southern suburbs. clouds will

break late tonight. tomorrow the coldest of the season. first sub 32 and 310 days. finally a little dose of chilly weather. the overall trend over the next two weeks is above normal. we still do not see a humongous storm heading for chicago at this point. happy new year to you guys. we are still awaiting the president's speech.

>>good afternoon everyone. >>winning pick 3 numbers 8,62

time for the pick 4 games. all the dreams coming true. winning pick 4 numbers 8,3,73 >>mega millions is 30

millions. happy new year's eve. >> he is out as the bears' head coach. they started the season at 7-1. they collapsed in the second half to miss the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons. the general manager informed of the firing this morning. he went through for offensive coordinators. the offense ranked higher than 23rd only once. the players are reacting right now. >> we were hoping it can come down to this. most guys loved

playing for a levy. he scrutinized a lot but a lot of people did not realize how good of a coat she is. a lot of the time the coach gets all of the blame but it comes on us. >> it is the way the league is. continue on with your goals and hopefully you hold up the lombardi trophy soon. >> the falcons and it 49ers both clinched playoff berth in first place. >> the redskins beat the cowboys last night. the broncos and patrons enjoy a week off. the colts visit the ravens. playoff start on saturday.

>> and northern illinois huskies only have a walk-through remaining before their first bcf ballgame. a face off against florida state tomorrow and the orange bowl. >> hello, i'm alex trebek. for over 10 years now, i've been representing the colonial penn life insurance company and i'm here today to talk with some of their insurance representatives about their guaranteed acceptance life insurance. that was a really good point. hi, alex. hi, everyone.

as it and obama just announced he is making some comments on the fiscal cliff negotiations. >> everybody have a seat. good afternoon everybody. welcome to the white house. >> i realized that the last thing you want to hear on the ears yves is another speech from me but i do need to talk about the progress that is being made in congress today. for the last few days leaders in both parties have been working toward an agreement. preventing that tax

hike has been my top priority. the last thing folks can afford is to pay an extra $2,000 in taxes next year. middle-class families cannot afford it. businesses cannot afford. our economy cannot afford. it appears that an agreement to prevent this new year's tax hike is within sight. it is not done. there are still issues left to resolve. we are hopeful that congress can get it done. make sure that we emphasize to congress and that members of both parties understand that all across america this is a pressing concern. the potential

agreement that is being talked about with not only make sure that taxes do not go on middle- class families it also would extend tax credits for families with children. it would extend our tuition tax credit that has helped millions of families pay for college. it would extend tax credits for clean energy companies that creating jobs and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. it would extend unemployment insurance to 200 million americans who are still looking for a job. i have to say that ever since i took office throughout the campaign our preference would have been to solve all of these problems and the preference of a larger agreement. a larger deal. that solves our deficit problems in a balanced and responsible way. it

is not just deal with tax and the deals with spending and a balanced way so that we can put all of this behind us and just focus on growing our economy. with this congress, that was obviously a little too much to hope for at this time. maybe we can do it in stages. we're going to solve this problem instead and several steps. last year in 2011 we started reducing the deficit to one trillion dollars in spending cuts. those have already taken place. the agreement being worked on right now would further reduce the deficit by asking the wealthiest 2 percent of americans to pay higher taxes for the first time in two decades. that would add hundreds of billions of dollars to deficit reduction. that is progress. we're going to need to do more. keep in mind that just last month republicans in congress said they would never agree to raise tax rates on the

wealthiest americans. obviously the agreement that is currently being discussed would raise those rates and raise them permanently. keep in mind we are going to have more work to do. we're going to have to think about how we put our economy on a long-term trajectory of growth. how we continue to make investors on things like education. things like infrastructure that help our economy grow. keep in mind that the threat of tax hikes going up is only one part of the so- called fiscal cliff. what we also have facing us starting tomorrow are automatic spending cuts that are scheduled to go into effect. keep in mind that some of the spending cuts that congress has said will automatically go into effect

have an impact on our defense department but they also have an impact on things like head start. some programs that are scheduled to be cut and we're using an ax instead of a scalpel. they may not always be the smartest cuts. that is a piece of business that still has to be taking care of. i want to make clear that any agreement that we have to deal with these automatic spending cuts that are being threatened for next month, polls also have to be balanced. our principal has always been to do things in a balanced responsible way. that means revenue has to be part of the equation. the same is true for any future deficit agreement. obviously we're going to have to do more to reduce our debt and deficit. i'm willing to do more. it is going to have to

be balanced. it has to be a balanced and responsible way. i'm willing to reduce our government's medicare bills by finding new ways to reduce the cost of health care in this country. that is something that we all should agree on. we want to make sure that medicare is there for future for generations. the cost of health care is going up so high that we have to find ways to make sure that is sustainable. that kind of reform has to go hand-in-hand with doing some more work to reform our tax code so that wealthy individuals the biggest corporations cannot take advantage of loopholes and reductions that i not available to most of the folks standing up here. are not available to most americans. there's still more work to be done to make it fair even as we also look at how we can strengthen something like medicare. if republicans think that i will finish the job of

deficit reduction through spending cuts alone and you hear that sometimes after today we're just going to try to shove spending cuts that will hurt seniors or hurt students or her middle-class families. without asking equivalent sacrifice for millionaires are companies with a lot of lobbyists. that is not how it is going to work. we have to do this and a balanced and responsible way. if we want to be serious about a reduction it is going to have to be a matter of shared sacrifice. they're

least as long as i'm president. i'm going to be president for the next four years. anyways for now our most immediate priority is to stop taxes from going out for middle-class families starting tomorrow. i think that is a modest goal that we can accomplish. democrats and republicans in congress have to get this done but they're not there yet. they are close but they're not there yet. one thing we can count on with respect to this congress is that if there is even one second left before you have to do you're supposed to do, they will lose use that last second. it looks like i'm going to be spending the ears here in washington d.c.. >> the dollar going to be hanging out here too. i can come

to your house? >> i do not want to spoil the party. >> the people who are with me to their and the people who are watching home, they need our leaders in congress. they need us to all stay focused on them. that need to be focused on families and students. just looking for a fair shot. some reward for that hard work. they expect our leaders to succeed on their behalf. keep the pressure on over the next couple12 hours. i think you all. if i do not see you or i do not show up your of

i want to wish everybody a happy new year. thank you very much. >> appears that a deal is in sight on the fiscal cliff. a deal is not done yet. we may have to solve this problem in several stocks. including a tax credit for families with children the education tax credit. >> he said he would have liked to have gotten a bigger deal done but unfortunately he was not able to do that. this will have to be ruled out in several steps.

checking chicagos letter which is kind of great as the final day of 2012. snow passing downstate as you can see on the radar. if you're heading south be aware of that. we may get a flurry but a lot of this hanging

up in the clouds over the city. it will be moving out of here tonight. we get into some serious cold there. this low pressure a streaking along fast. high pressure comes in and brings the sun back tomorrow. look at the temperatures and how cold it is out west of us. we've got 310 days without a subfreezing reading. the hundred and 10 days310 days is just not happened before. tomorrow it happens, we go into subfreezing daytime high territory. we bring to an end, a record. live records going back 142 years. thirties' now around the city. the winds are west at 12. makes it feel like it is 22. that is the reading right now. here the temperatures that are expected as the day goes on. you

concede that cold air funneling into the northern midwest. as far south as minnesota, sections of iowa, single digits in northwest illinois. high temperatures tomorrow are hard- pressed to get much above 20. >> he could see the coldest they're staying north. a little reenforcing loaf chilly air. chilly air. restore warming up again. we will be in the '30's and breaking above freezing by this upcoming weekend. as a matter of fact much of the next two weeks look like they will average above normal. >> meteorological nirvana. >> happy new year to you. >> have a great day.